A wide variety of operating room systems are known for performing both diagnostic and surgical procedures. In particular, systems have been provided that allow a surgeon to perform a procedure with a variety of medical and operating room equipment. This equipment ranges from visual imaging tools (e.g., endoscopes, cameras, etc.) and systems, to medical devices (e.g. tools for cutting, grasping, extracting, irrigating, etc.), and other operating room equipment.
In particular, operating room visualization equipment has been provided that allows for visualization of the interior of an organ or joint while a surgeon is conducting a procedure. These visualization systems allow for a surgeon to view, typically on a surgical monitor placed either in or adjacent to, the sterile environment, a location inside the body where the procedure is being performed. These systems have further allowed for the recording of still pictures and video recordings of the area and procedure. Not only have the surgeon and those in the operating room been able to view the surgical site on the surgical monitor, but systems have further provided for the transfer of visualization information via a network connection to remote locations from the operating room. In this manner, individuals have had the capacity to view a surgical procedure from different locations. This has proved to be a very helpful educational tool (e.g. medical students can view a medical procedure from a class room) and has allowed for specialists to view the surgical procedure from a distance to provide expert analysis and input to the surgeon.
A number of medical procedures require the patient be maintained under anesthesia, typically by means of IV administered anesthesia or a gas mixture administered to the patient, or both. In this case, ventilation is provided to the patient, which may be provided through an endotracheal tube inserted into the trachea. It should be noted that when the tube is inserted, the patient is asleep hyperoxygenated and then paralyzed for the procedure, and therefore not breathing. As the ventilator is not yet in operation, the physician must work quickly to insert the endotracheal tube.
The insertion of this tube involves risks that the anesthesiologist seeks to avoid or at least minimize. It is estimated that between one in 6,000 to one in 8,000 general anesthesia procedures result in death. There are of course many causes but of these it is estimated that about one third of them are caused by the intubation procedure.
Some obstacles encountered by the anesthesiologist include; the remoteness of the location where the tube is to be positioned, the consequent restriction of view as the tube is inserted, variations and anomalies in the anatomy of the patients, an uncomfortable and unnatural position for the anesthesiologist while holding the instrument, the potential need to change blades during the procedure, and the necessity for rapid intubation.
With the advent of endoscopic equipment and small cameras, instrumentation can enable viewing of the cords and larynx on a video screen facilitating the intubation of the patient in a relatively quick and safe manner. A number of video laryngoscopes have been known including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,655,377; 6,543,447; 6,890,298; 7,044,909 and 8,029,440. Typically, these video laryngoscopes route video feeds to dedicated video monitors located adjacent to the laryngoscope (e.g. a video screen mounted beside or right on the handle of the laryngoscope).
As operating room control systems develop, the use of video displays and control systems continues to expand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,420 to Roderick Plummer (the Plummer patent) discloses an operating room system that allows for videos to be displayed on screens in the operating room.
However, while great steps have been made in the presentation of endoscope video imaging in an operating room system, the integration of video laryngoscopes into the operating room control system has not been effectively addressed. In current systems, the intubation process occurs with a system separate and apart from the operating room system. However, if during a surgical procedure it becomes necessary to re-intubate the patient, time is critical. Having to move the operating room equipment aside, moving the laryngoscope equipment in, intubating the patient, moving the laryngoscope equipment aside and moving the operating room equipment back into place can mean delayed time to intubate the patient and increased time under anesthesia, both of which are highly undesirable.